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Next generation MCAO systems for large aperture solar telescopes

Lead Research Organisation: Durham University
Department Name: Physics

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description DKIST turbulence profiler 
Organisation Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST)
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We will be providing a turbulence profiling instrument to support DKIST AO system design and commissioning. We will provide the design, build the instrument, commission it at the telescope and provide a data reduction pipeline.
Collaborator Contribution DKIST will provide scientific and technical inputs, such as instrument requirements, and descriptions of optical, mechanical, electronic and software interfaces, as well as support during commissioning.
Impact No outputs yet - system still being designed (March 2022)
Start Year 2021
 
Description European Solar Telescope 
Organisation Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands
Country Spain 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We will providing a design study for the EST soft real-time control system - the part of the adaptive optics control system that monitors and optimises system performance, as well as providing a user interface.
Collaborator Contribution Information on the conceptual design of the EST AO control system, expected performance and algorithm definintion.
Impact No outputs yet (Mar 2022)
Start Year 2022
 
Title DAO - Durham AO Real Time control System 
Description Adaptive Optics is a technology that is used to compensate for image distortions normally introduced by atmospheric turbulence. The real-time control system is the software system is the brains of the AO system that handles all of the computations, and connects to the cameras and deformable mirrors needed to provide the compensation. DAO has been developed to enable easy support and modification for research users, but also scale to enable the largest adaptive optics systems proposed for future large astornomical observatories. 
Type Of Technology Systems, Materials & Instrumental Engineering 
Year Produced 2024 
Open Source License? Yes  
Impact Since it's initial development, DAO has been installed at a number of laboratories and observatories across the world and is now being used by many groups outside Durham to enable their AO research. 
 
Title European Solar Telescope Real Time Control System Feasibility Study 
Description This is a design study looking at the feasibility of implementing a real-time control system that will meet the requirements of the two European Solar Telescope adaptive optics systems. The analyses was based on an implementation using the DAO RTC software package. 
Type Of Technology Systems, Materials & Instrumental Engineering 
Year Produced 2024 
Impact After the feasibility study, we were asked by the observatory to contribute the full preliminary design for the real time control system. This is a major UK contribution to the European Solar Telescope. 
 
Title Thai SLODAR system design 
Description Optical design and performance analyses for the SLODAR turbulence profilign system including description of all design processes required to design AO-compatible wavefront sensors for the future TNO-developed AO system 
Type Of Technology Systems, Materials & Instrumental Engineering 
Year Produced 2018 
Impact NARIT researchers have used this information to design the mechanical system for their first wide-field wavefront sensing system